GM sugar beet better for wildlife than 'conventional'
Plantigens
friendly to wildlife than ordinary conventional sugar-beet.
There is a similar crop trial on-going in England, which is due to report
this summer. Wouldn't it be a turn up for the books if the GM protesters
were actually wrong about GM and wildlife !.
David G. Bell
<e5Pba.2159$pK2....@news.indigo.ie>
sa...@molecularfarming.com "Plantigens" wrote:
It's fairly easy to see how it could be, though being better than some
none-GM crops might not be all that difficult. At least glyphosate, for
one, is animal-safe enough that it (used?) to be usable in watercourses.
--
David G. Bell -- SF Fan, Filker, and Punslinger.
"Let me get this straight. You're the KGB's core AI, but you're afraid
of a copyright infringement lawsuit over your translator semiotics?"
From "Lobsters" by Charles Stross.
Marcus Williamson
>New findings from a crop trial in Denmark suggest that GM Sugar beet is more
>friendly to wildlife than ordinary conventional sugar-beet.
Policy statement on GMO's - British Sugar
10 March 1999
The UK sugar beet crop, from which sugar is extracted and sold in the
retail market under the Silver Spoon brand and to the food industry
direct by British Sugar, has not been the subject of any genetic
modification beyond the well established processes of selective plant
breeding. Neither are there any plans to introduce genetically
modified varieties in the foreseeable future.
British Sugar is carefully monitoring the views of its customers and
the end consumer towards this technology. It is also reviewing the
progress of the new gene technologies in respect of the benefits and
risks which may accrue and the legislative processes.
British Sugar as the sole processor of UK home-grown sugar beet
purchases the entire crop from around 9000 growers all of whom are
under contract to the company. British Sugar issues a list of
recommended seed varieties to growers selected from the statutory NIAB
(National Institute of Agricultural Botany) list. Growers purchase the
seed from this list, and British Sugar is the sole supplier to farmers
of this seed. In this way the integrity of UK home-grown sugar is
assured.
In common with several other crops in the UK, sugar beet, has been
used by scientists in experimental studies into herbicide resistance.
These trials, have to be carried out under strictly controlled
conditions following formal agreement from the regulatory authorities.
As genetically modified sugar beet is not cleared for food use in the
UK, it is illegal to grow it for commercial purposes. It is therefore
required that all experimental plants are destroyed, and it is the
statutory responsibility of the trial "consent holder" to ensure that
this happens. Although British Sugar has no involvement in such
trials, in addition to these legislative controls, the company has its
own rigorous monitoring procedures to ensure that plants grown under
these circumstances are ultimately destroyed.
ends
http://www.britishsugar.co.uk/bsweb/bsgroup/press/gmopol1.htm